Spider-Man: No Way Home Review
Writing a spoiler-free review of Spider-Man: No Way Home is like reviewing a dish without mentioning any ingredients other than salt. It’s less a “movie” than a sequence of capital-letter Moments, created from the ground up to be relived for years in those hidden-cell phone Youtube films of people losing their minds in the aisles of an AMC. Sure, the trailers promised Moments, plus a few more you may expect, plus a dozen or so genuine surprises nobody could have predicted. In the same way, a roller-quick coaster’s plunge makes your tummy flutter, Marvel Studios remains unsurpassed at creating that special type of shared movie theatre joy after 13 years and 26 films. The MCU continues to make Moments. But can it make movies? The multiverse’s pull on No Way Home’s great cast and emotional heart of a classic Spider-Man story is dizzying.
The Multiverse. Possibly even a lunatic. It’s not fair to say the film’s setup is irrelevant, but it does feel like it’s dragging to get to the part where Alfred Molina’s Doctor Octopus clanks his way back into the Marvel Universe. Peter is accused of murdering Quentin Beck (Jake Gyllenhaal). Hand-waved away faster than expected. To forget Spider-true Man’s identity, Peter asks Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) to cast a spell on all humans. Sure, Strange and Spider-Man have had a few meaningful on-screen encounters. Notably absent from this film are Tobey Maguire’s Venom, Tobey Maguire’s Venom, Tobey Maguire’s Venom, Tobey Maguire’s Venom, and Tobey Maguire’s Venom.
I’m not going to lie, it’s a blast seeing these actors reprise their roles in the year 2021. Like you, I have sentimental recollections of Chad Kroeger’s “Hero” dancing in my head. Alfred Molina hurling automobiles at Tom Holland is sometimes all you need. If all you want from Spider-Man: No Way Home is a journey down memory lane, you’ll be disappointed. Dafoe makes the most of his retaliation. It helps that Willem Dafoe, with his trademark rubbery face, is one of our greatest living actors; director Jon Watts lets Dafoe explore the murky Jekyll & Hyde layers between “Green Goblin” and “Norman Osborn” in ways even the Sam Raimi films wouldn’t allow, and the result is a delicious bit of comic book camp.
But the links connecting all those spectacular set-pieces and surprise cameos are so thin, you start noticing the table-setting. A lot of the returning villains feel like avatars, existing just to be recognized. For example, Lizard is a personality-free CGI presence, indistinguishable from any other CGI comic book monster, while Electro is a character stripped of all distinctive traits except for the fact that it is played by Jamie Foxx himself. As time passes, you realize the multiverse is simply too crowded for anything to survive.
Notably, Tom Holland’s performance as Peter Parker is one of the best in the film’s whole runtime. The character of Spider-Man is characterized by his reaction to unfathomable grief and colossal sorrow. This is only true if Peter sees how easily his power can be compromised. As a result of Holland’s newfound wrath, the MCU’s decision to portray its Spider-Man as childishly ignorant rather than book-smart is almost entirely justified. In this case, it’s unsettling to see the character struggle and grow up. Peter, Ned (Jacob Batalon, delightful), and MJ (Zendaya, fantastic) remain the film’s pulsating heart, and the extra characters generally drown out their voices (and those of other characters).
This review’s gaps might fill a Multiverse. With a few narrative decisions that bring to mind the worst of comic book storytelling. It’s all there, good, bad, and ugly. To get what you want may be a messy business, as No Way Home makes plain.
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